ABSTRACT
Tawarikh-i-Ujjainia of Munshi Binayak Prasad is the most comprehensive historical work, written in Urdu by a Bihari Hindu writer. The task entrusted to Binayak Prasad was not exactly the history of the estate of Dumraon. Munshi Binayak Prasad traced the fortunes of leading Ujjainia families, their emergence into prominence and then their decline. The description narrated intercommunity interaction and their relationship with the local communities and the surrounding political powers. The study of medieval Persian chronicles helped Munshi Binayak Prasad to familiarize himself with the tradition of Perso-Urdu historiography. He was aware that a new school of historiography had also appeared in the country. The work of writing extended to well over two decades, between 1883 and 1905 when the fourth volume was completed. Munshi Binayak Prasad refers to another reason for the success of the Ujjainia rulers. Munshi Binayak Prasad traces the different branches into which the family of Udwant Singh (founder of the House of Jagdishpur) split up.
